Backpacking Coast Camp, Point Reyes

Paulina DaoJune 26, 201701.2K views

Point Reyes National Seashore is one of California’s hidden gems. Outshone by more famous national parks in the state, it’s a bit of a local secret. That’s not to say it isn’t as equally busy, or as hard to score a campsite, as the state’s other national parks. The backcountry campsites at Point Reyes are always booked months in advance. I’ve day hiked there numerous times, but sleeping out there under the fog is something that I’ve never done until this past spring. After months of torrential downpour earlier this year, a site opened up at Coast Camp in for a Saturday in March. With no plans on the horizon, I grabbed it immediately.

One Reason to Backpack Solo

Paulina DaoApril 19, 20175529 views

One reason to backpack solo: You do you.

The Ultimate Guide to Zion Traverse Backpacking

Paulina DaoApril 10, 201711.7K views

You’re heading to Zion National Park and you want something a little more off the beaten path? The Zion Traverse, also known as the Trans-Zion Trek, is a set of trails that traverses the entire park. It’s typically done from north to south so you’re going downhill-ish for most of the hike, but if you wanted to get extra miserable, you could do it in the reverse direction. Read on for my tips on planning a successful trip across Utah’s first national park.

Day Three on the Zion Traverse: Potato Hollow to Zion Valley

Paulina DaoApril 6, 201721.3K views

After yesterday’s wet and soggy ordeal, we decided that today would be our last day. Jeff’s feet skin was peeling. I was doing fine but I couldn’t leave my adventure partner behind. We both had about 3L of water left to finish the last leg of the trail from Potato Hollow down into Zion Valley. From there, we’d take the bus out to the Court of the Patriarchs trailhead and hitch a ride back to my rental car up at the East Entrance.

Day Two on the Zion Traverse: Hop Valley to West Rim

Paulina DaoApril 4, 201711.1K views

Two words: wet feet. If the previous day’s theme was sandy shoes, today’s was wet feet. Missouri Howell and I woke up just before sunrise in our little incognito BLM bush patch. It was a slightly restless night of cowboy camping, complete with the brightest shooting star I’d ever seen. Today we’d be hiking to Campsite 7 on the West Rim, located in a little section called Potato Hollow. Today would also be the most miserable day of the trip.